Love Song
by skt010
Summary: A group of locals caught my eye. They all looked exactly alike. One stood up to dump his tray. He looked at me curiously. As embarrassed and uncomfortable as I was, I couldn’t look away from his eyes..." Melody is imprinted on by Embry. This is her story.
1. New Town

_Ch. 1New Town_

"Ugh." I groaned as we drove up to the house. My dad just sighed in reply. Apparently he had had enough of my moaning. I didn't know why we had to move again. This was the second time in this year alone, and the seventh time in the past three years. Even though I always thought this, I meant it this time: this was the worst move yet.

"Did we _have_ to move to the rainiest place on Earth?" I asked angrily. Forks, Washington was the rainiest place in America, not the world. It was an awful comparison to my last home: Los Angeles, California.

My dad chuckled, "I'm sure you'll like it here. Didn't you complain when we moved to L.A.? You loved it there. You had a million friends in a week!"

"That's because there were a million people there! There aren't even 500 in the entire high school!" Small towns were definitely not better than cities.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the problem is. You always said you didn't mind the rain, and you have never had a problem adjusting before!"

"Maybe that's because we've only moved to cities! Ever think I'm just screwed up because I've moved so many times? I'm a freak, dad!"

He sighed. I bit my lip, feeling guilty like I always did whenever I fought with him. I opened my door and walked around to the back of the car. I grabbed my suitcase full of my small winter wardrobe, my purse containing only my iPod and cell phone, and my guitar case and ran into the house.

My dad came in right behind me. "Let's go see the rooms," he said enthusiastically. We went upstairs first, leaving our suitcases in our bedrooms, then continued on to the bathroom, living room, kitchen, and extra room that would be my dad's painting studio.

I heard the moving van pull up, and went with my dad to help. This was a stupid idea. I was a huge klutz and probably would break whatever I attempted to carry. My dad knew this.

"Melody, you don't have to help," he said weakly, probably thinking of the broken bones and trip to the hospital that would result in my help. "Why don't you go call your mother?"

I groaned. That was _not_ going to be a pleasant conversation, considering my mother and I hadn't had a pleasant conversation in months. But I turned and stalked off into the house anyway.

I picked up my cell phone hesitating. My mother and I had never gotten along. I was only 5 when her and my dad split. Ever since I was 8 we had argued constantly, mostly about stupid things. Of course she had tried to make up for it by paying for every music lesson I asked to take, but it didn't stop me from moving out when I was 11. Even when I lived with my dad, there was no escaping the never-ending arguing. So we just stopped talking altogether.

I dialed her number, and waited impatiently for the ringing to end.

"Hello," came my mother's voice. "Melody? Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah mom I'm fine, except for the fact that I am living in infinite downpour."

"Well, you could always live in Ft. Lauderdale…with me."

If it wasn't with her, I would have loved sunny Florida. Unfortunately, my mother and the annoying prep kids at the school made paradise torturous. I would rather live in Forks. No, Florida was definitely out.

"Mom…I…I," how could I tell her that I didn't want to live with her? "The kids there are really preppy…and annoying," it was true…not the reason why I didn't want to live there…but still, true.

"Oh," she said seeing through my poor excuse, "Well I'm glad you're okay. Umm…have fun in school tomorrow. Call me afterward?"

I sighed, "Yeah, I will mom. Love you! Bye." I hung up feeling terrible once again.

My room wasn't that horrible. It was slightly bigger than my last room, but still small. I liked it though. The moving people had already moved in my desk, bureau, and bed. I sat down on it looking around. The walls were a light pink, that wouldn't last long. I thought of color possibilities as I unpacked.

I glanced at the clock. "5:30, no wonder I'm so hungry," I said to myself. I ran down the stairs and into the light blue kitchen. My dad was just unloading all of the spices into one of the dark brown cabinets. I hopped up on the counter and picked up the phone.

"What's the best place for pizza here?" I asked, hoping he would know.

"Uh…" Shit, he didn't.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You don't know? I thought pizza was, like, your all time favorite food! You didn't look up the number for a pizza place? Aren't you the one who always tells me to think _ahead_?"

He shrugged embarrassed. "I bought a phone book at least."

I jumped down off the counter and went to the coat closet. The one thing that never changed no matter where we were: the phone book's location. I stood up on my tiptoes, infuriated once again at being a full grown 5 foot 4.

I flipped through the pages impatiently and found the number for the only pizza place. I grimaced, only one pizza place? L.A. had five in our side of the town. My dad was a…experimental cook and most of the time his food wasn't edible, so pizza, Chinese food, PB and J, and cereal were the most common dinners.

"Dad, they don't deliver," I said grimacing again. Being 15 was no fun. I still had a year to go before I could drive. I already had a car picked out and everything.

He chuckled, obviously knowing why this upset me. "I'll pick it up. What kind do you want?"

I shrugged, "Whatever. Tomato?"

He nodded. I laughed. I knew how much he loved tomato. I dialed the number, and placed the order.

After eating, showering, and brushing my teeth, I climbed into my bed and curled into a ball. I felt the usual panic creeping up. It always happened on the first night in a new town. As soon as I thought about the new school, new friends, new teachers that would surely hate me, I had a panic attack.

I tried to calm myself down, but it was too late, I was already hyperventilating. I snatched my iPod from the floor and plugged it into the docking station. Music usually helped. It would at least drown out the crying to keep my dad from worrying. I selected my favorite Linkin Park CD and listened to the screeching guitar as I fell asleep.


	2. New School

_Ch. 2 New School_

My dad pulled up in front of the office building and I clambered out. The rain soaked my hair that I stupidly took the time to blow dry this morning. I supposed the blonde would look about ten shades darker because of the rain. I cursed the town under my breath as I ran into the building.

The woman sitting at the counter looked up. I trudged over to her, drenched and nervous. "Hi," I said politely smiling.

She grinned back. "You must be Melody Swift. Welcome to Forks High School," I suppressed a moan, another overfriendly secretary. "Here is your schedule, and a map of the school. Have a great first day!"

I smiled half-heartedly, and then ran back into the rain. I studied the map then my schedule, and darted to my first class, Chemistry.

A cluster of people that I followed into the room hung their coats on a hook. I copied them and turned towards the teacher. I told him who I was and he pointed to a seat in the back corner of the room. I sighed relieved.

I took my seat next to a girl with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. She looked at me and smiled. "Hi! I'm Penelope Clark. Are you the new girl?"

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess I'll be stuck with that nickname again for a while. I'm Melody Swift."

She looked confused. I sighed again. "This is my seventh move in the past three years," I explained, "My dad has to move around a lot for his job."

Penelope nodded sympathetically, "That's tough. What does he do?"

Wow, someone was actually interested. Was it possible that I had a new friend already? "He's an artist. He's done jobs for different companies, like advertisement and stuff. But now he's just going to paint on his own. That's why we moved into a small town and out of the city." I frowned.

She laughed, "That's how you got stuck in a muddy hole like this. An artist, huh? That's really cool!" She smiled. "Where did you live before?"

"Los Angeles, California." I said proudly. "They had a great music program out there. I really loved it." I frowned again.

Penelope cocked her head to the side. "You're into music?" She sounded hopeful. I nodded, confused. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Me too! What instruments do you play?"

Oh my god! How lucky was I this time? I was sitting next to another music lover. We would definitely be friends. "Guitar, but I love singing."

She smiled. "I play guitar too, but I'm an awful singer."

I opened my mouth to say something but Mr. Hazel called us too attention. He began his lecture on molecular properties. I took notes happily, understanding everything. Good day so far, I had a friend already and I wasn't going to fail chemistry. One class down, five to go.

Penelope looked at my schedule after the bell rang. We grabbed our bags and walked to the door.

"We have French together 3rd period, right before lunch. Gym, too, at the end of the day." I wrinkled my nose in disgust when she mentioned gym. She noticed. "You don't like gym either?" she asked doubtfully.

I shook my head laughing. "I am the biggest klutz you will ever meet. What's your excuse?"

The rest of my day passed by quickly. Penelope walked me to English, my second period class, then met me at the door and walked with me to French. English, my favorite subject was wonderful. I received a reading list and smiled, I had read all of the books. Two classes I wouldn't fail!

French wasn't so bad. I was in a higher level back at my old school, so I was good at it. I wasn't worried about French at all. I sat next to a red head boy, who smiled and politely introduced himself as Kyle.

Kyle, Penelope, and I walked into the lunch room. I moaned it was way too tiny! I grabbed a chicken ceaser salad and a coke and sat down with Penelope and her friends. We talked about singing and guitars. I was introduced to a few of Kyle's friends, who were nice. One of them even offered to walk me to Algebra next period.

"See you in gym!" Penelope called as we left. I waved and turned my attention to the black haired boy I was walking with. What was his name?

"I can't remember if I told you or not. My name is David." Oh, thank god.

"Thank you for walking me to class David." I smiled timidly.

He blushed, "No problem…um. I was wondering. A few of us were going to go to La Push, the Indian reservation, on Saturday…and would you like to come? Penelope and Kyle are going!"

"Sure!" I said eagerly, happy to have plans already. "That sounds great."

There was no hope for me in Algebra. I failed back home, and I was going to fail here too. History was a little better. I probably wouldn't fail, but I wouldn't get an A either.

Then there was gym. I was miserable walking there, but I smiled when I saw Penelope. I told her about my plans for La Push and her smile widened. Apparently she was just going to invite me too.

I didn't need to change because it was my first day. I was given a uniform and a locker, and was told to sit on the side and watch them play soccer. I laughed as I watched Penelope play, or attempt to play, the game. She wasn't as bad as me, but still not good. We were going to be great friends.

I walked off to my dad's little Saab embarrassed. Why did he have to have an ugly car?

My dad had gone to the grocery store, so there was no need for pizza tonight. I barely had any homework so I volunteered for kitchen duty. I made simple spaghetti and meatballs while I did my Chem. assignment. We ate in silence, the best thing about my dad: he didn't think silence was awkward, and was perfectly happy not to talk. I got that from him.

I wrote my French paper after dinner, and tried to get some algebra problems done, but gave up on that and went to sleep.

The next day passed in a similar fashion. Penelope and I talked about music a lot. But when we started to talk about books, Kyle joined in, as well as a dirty blonde with brown eyes whose name I think was Martha.

I had to play soccer, but I only fell down once. My team soon learned that I was athletically challenged and kept the ball away from me as well as Penelope, who to my surprise fell down a lot too.

Friday was much the same. I continued to like Penelope more and more when I found out we liked the same bands, authors, clothing stores, and restaurants. Kyle was also a very likeable person. He asked about my family and let me vent to him about my mother. Then he told me about his parents and their recent nasty divorce, and he vented to me. It was a relief to find someone who had family troubles worse than mine.

At lunch, David, Martha, Kyle, Penelope, and other people whose names I don't know told me the times for the La Push trip. We spent the entire time discussing shops and restaurants that we might go to. It turned out to be an all day event. My excitement rose for the upcoming trip.

Gym was worse. I fell down a lot, but so did Penelope, so we laughed it off with each other and tried to play.

My dad seemed pleased that I was happy here. "Didn't I tell you? I knew you would have no problem adjusting. I mean you already have plans this weekend! What? No boyfriend?"

I blushed; I had never had a boyfriend. Maybe this time I would.

I went to sleep trying to picture La Push and failing. But I couldn't help but wonder if something would go wrong. Stupid paranoia. It was probably just because it was so great here.


	3. La Push

**Note from the author: I have Ch. 4 ready for when you want it! R&R! Checkout my friend's story "Hey There Delilah"**

_Ch. 3 La Push_

I woke up early and showered. I pulled on a blue sweater that hung over my shoulders, jeans, and my black and white checked rain boots. I skipped down the stairs, to get breakfast. After I ate, I went to search for my dad.

I found him painting in his studio. The walls were lined with his beautiful abstract creations. The one he was working on now was a mixture of blue, purple, and white hues. It reminded me of a lake. 

He smiled at me when he noticed I was there. "I like that painting," I complemented him, returning his smile.

"Thanks," he said, "When are they picking you up for the La Push trip?" Before I could answer the doorbell rang.

"Now," I said surprised. He kissed my forehead, and I ran to the door, grabbing my purse and $40 before I left.

I climbed into Kyle's mom's SUV. There weren't enough seats for everyone, and I was last. So, I sat on top of Penelope. 

"I'm on top next time," she said when we got out.

I blushed, "Sorry."

"No, no, you're tiny, you're not heavy," she reassured me, and I noticed for the first time that she was two inches taller than me. "I just want to sit on top."

I laughed and we started talking about music again. The 10 of us walked to the beach. We trekked through the woods, I didn't fall once. We examined tide pools. Then we decided we were all starving. So we went in search of a good restaurant. 

The sub shop did look promising. I saw a meatball sub on the menu and I was saved. I sat down with my sandwich, and tried to focus on the conversation. A few people were talking about an upcoming algebra test; I gave up on that one. Others were discussing they're favorite animals, TV shows, etc. 

My attention drifted and I saw a group of locals that caught my eye. There were 5 of them. They sat in a circle, and were in an intense conversation. But that wasn't what was interesting about them. They all looked exactly alike. Dark, russet skin that could only belong to members of the Quiluete tribe, black hair, cropped short (except for one who had shaggy, long hair), and dark eyes.

One stood up to dump his tray and I gasped. That had to be the tallest person I had ever seen. 6 foot 7 at least. He did a double-take and looked at me curiously. Shit. I had been staring with my mouth open. I blushed, and looked down at my sandwich. When I looked up again, the boy was sitting down again, but looking at me intently instead of listening to the conversation.

As embarrassed and uncomfortable I was, I couldn't look away from his eyes. I felt bizarre. My stomach had decided to be a gymnast and was flipping over and over. My heart pounded in my chest. I felt dizzy.

I stood up involuntarily and grabbed my half eaten sub, to cover my impulsive action. I didn't understand why I wanted to go over to the boy. To tell him to leave me alone, perhaps, or maybe just to talk to him. 

I bit my lip as I sat down and started to talk to Penelope. When we stood to leave, I noticed that the boy and his friends were still there, and he was still looking at me. When I walked by, he stood up, ignoring his friends stares, and walked over to me. I froze, confused.

"Um…hi," he said in a husky voice. "My name is Embry Call."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I tried again. "I'm Melody." I stuck out my hand, and he took it. I jumped slightly when we touched. His skin was burning hot, but what made me jump was the electric shock that ran through me.

"Are you and your friends from Forks?" He asked politely.

I couldn't talk so I just nodded. He sighed. "Why?" I asked.

"It's just…well. I um…thought I should show you guys around." It sounded like a question. Was he feeling the same way as me?

"Sure. Would your friends mind?" I gestured to the other boys who were staring at us confused. He shook his head.

"Have you ever heard any Quiluete legends?" he asked as he led the way out of the sub shop. I shook my head. Embry chuckled darkly, and then began telling the stories of his tribe.


	4. Myths

**Note from the Author: Sorry it's short. I'll update soon! The story I told you about last time is by Totally 3****rd**** Grade. This girl is awesome…and my best friend. Her story is sweet! Read it! R&R.**

_Ch. 4 Myths_

We were on the beach now. The others were slightly ahead of us, not listening to our conversation. Embry's voice was grave when he spoke, his black eyes showing no hint of humor.

"It started like any other tribe, finding and conquering the land. But our tribe was different. We had magic. The warriors could…change. Their spirits could leave their bodies. The spirit warriors, they were called. The spirit warriors used this magic to defeat enemies. They couldn't physically touch them, but they had their ways. Screaming, for example. Their cries were carried on winds to their foes, scaring them. They could also control animals, like turning their enemy's dogs against them. Am I boring you?" His question startled me, ripping me from his tribe's distant past.

I shook my head. "The opposite actually. It's really interesting!"

He nodded, before continuing, "The last great spirit chief, Taha Aki, changed the magic. He was trapped in the spirit world, his body stolen by an evil man named Utlapa. Taha Aki found a wolf, large for its kind, and asked it to make room for him. He went back to save his people and eventually, the wolf, and Taha Aki, changed into a man.

"From then on, Taha Aki and his male descendants, have had the power to phase back and forth, from wolf to man. Even today…" he looked down distracted.

I gasped. Embry's head snapped up in my direction. He looked confused. "Werewolves?" I asked. He sighed and nodded. "That has to be the coolest thing I've ever heard. You're a great story teller," I continued.

Embry chuckled. "I don't tell it as well as the tribal elders. That's a true story you know!" I didn't believe that, but I could see he did.

We had stopped walking. A cool breeze passed by and I shivered. Embry shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. I looked up in surprise and noticed he only had on a t-shirt.

"No," I protested, "You'll freeze! I'm not taking you're coat!" Embry cracked up. I didn't think him freezing to death was that funny.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said still chortling, "I'm not going to _die._ It's not even cold!"

I rolled my eyes but dropped the subject. Maybe it was only cold to me. Stupid L.A. and its 70 degree weather.

Something small and white fell onto my eyelash. I blinked it off, then moaned when I recognized the frozen fuzz. Snow. I slid my arms into Embry's jacket, and tightened the monstrous thing around my small frame. It was no use, I was still freezing, and shivering.

Embry chuckled at my reaction. "You've never seen snow fall before have you?" he asked.

"Yeah I have." I stated defensively. "When I lived in Boston two years ago, and New York the year before that. I hated it there too."

He shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe you hate snow!"

"It's cold and wet and extremely annoying. Sure it looks pretty, but it numbs your fingers and toes. It melts in your boots and freezes your hair. Now, who in the world would enjoy that?"

Embry blinked, clearly surprised at my hatred of snow. "I've never heard snow described like that before! I think I hate it now too," he smiled.

I laughed and he joined in.

He walked with me, telling other myths, including the one about Taha Aki but with more details. We were headed toward the parking lot where we were to meet Kyle's mom. I stared at him awestruck as he explained the wolves' enemies, "the cold ones", vampires. How did he remember all this?

Embry stopped suddenly and sighed unhappily. "That's your ride isn't it?" he pointed out Kyle's mom's giant van

I sighed too and nodded. "Thank you. It was great! Your tribe's myths are extremely cool! Nice to meet you." I was sad; I didn't want to leave him. A stab of pain shot through my chest.

"Do you wanna hang out some time? Monday?" Embry sounded hopeful. I nodded eagerly. "What's your number? I'll call you!"

After exchanging numbers, I climbed into the car-Penelope on top of course-and waved out the window. As much as I hated thinking it, I couldn't help but wonder: would I ever see Embry again?


	5. Algebra

Ch

Ch. 5 Algebra

Life went back to normal for the most part. I didn't tell my dad about Embry. He never called, and I was too afraid and embarrassed to call him. I held onto his phone number though, it never left my pocket.

Penelope squealed with excitement when she found out what the mysterious slip of paper was. "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?" she had asked. I blushed and she understood.

Every day since then she's asked first thing if he had called yet, and when I said no, her face fell. Then she cheered up, comforted me, and assured me that he would call that afternoon.

One afternoon, I was stuck at home doing homework. Penelope wasn't available to do anything, piano lessons, and my dad was in Seattle for the day buying the proper art supplies. So I was home alone struggling with my algebra homework. It was just another boring afternoon in Forks. Then something I hadn't expected happened, the doorbell rang.

I jumped surprised. I had no idea who it could be. Was my dad home early? I looked at the clock. 6:28, no he couldn't be back already. I decided it was probably Penelope. Didn't her piano lesson end at 6:30? Maybe it was 6:00. I hopped up bumping into the counter and knocking my book off.

I very nearly ran to the door, but I slowed myself. What if it was a robber, or worse? I realized I had stopped walking. I took a deep breath and started for the door again. I took another deep breath when my hand was on the door knob. Then I wrenched it open and jumped back automatically ready to defend myself if necessary.

I gasped, and my eyes widened in surprise. "Embry?" Then I noticed his face. His eyes were red his cheeks tear stained. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

His answering smile was forced. "Can I come in?" he looked embarrassed. All I could do was nod.

Embry followed me into the kitchen. He scooped up my book then groaned. I whirled around cautiously. "Algebra? That sucks. I forgot you were a freshman." He set the book down on the counter.

I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. "Do you have a problem with freshmen?"

"Only the ones in my school," he laughed, "Some of the kids here too. You don't bother me though." He smiled kindly.

I was still angry, "Kids?" I asked through my teeth.

He laughed again. "I don't really think of _you_ as a kid! I did say I forgot you were a freshman. You seem very mature. Most of the freshmen though, the ones I don't like, they annoy me, so immature." He rolled his eyes.

I had to laugh. "So what's wrong?" His smile disappeared immediately. "Or do you not want to talk about it?"

He looked out the window. "Where's your dad?"

"Seattle. He'll be out late."

He nodded. "Later then."

I went back to my math homework. It did annoy me that the only junior I knew also sucked at Algebra.

I eventually gave up on my algebra. I was halfway through my English essay when Embry spoke again.

"I got in a fight with my mom."

I jumped; I had forgotten he was there, so absorbed in my English. I composed my expression before he looked at me. Then I nodded understandingly. I smiled timidly, "My mom and I haven't had a pleasant conversation since I was 8 years old. I can relate." I looked down at my hands.

"My mom and I never fight. Occasionally of course, but this one was brutal."

"What happened?"

He sighed. I looked up in time to see him turn his troubled gaze away from my face. I stood and walked over to him. I put my hand gently to his cheek and turned it to face me. His skin was so warm!

"You can tell me."

His eyes searched mine. Then he shook his head and looked away.

"I wonder if it will upset you."

I cocked my head to the side confused. "Try me."


	6. Secrets

Chapter 6 Secrets

I sat wide-eyed as Embry explained about the werewolves. He wasn't talking now, just waiting for my response. I just sat there staring at him. I had no idea what to think. The variety of emotions flying through me wasn't helping.

First, there was fear. This person sitting in front of me wasn't human, he was something more. Next, there was surprise. I had always been a very sensible person. I never wasted my time with superstition or fairytales, so it was hard to believe that werewolves were real. Then, there was excitement. Not because of the danger, but because Embry trusted me enough to tell me this secret. Finally, there was anger.

"Get out," I said finally.

Embry pulled his eyebrows together. "I knew I shouldn't have told you…"

"NO! Get out! How stupid do you think I am, huh? That's nice, pick on the new girl. I should have known! Get out!"

I stormed up the stairs and slammed my door behind me. I faintly heard the front door shutting, and saw the headlights of Embry's car drive away. I was too angry to really focus.

I laid my head down on my pillow and was startled by the tears that came, and how fast they were flowing. Why was I so upset? He was just some other guy that decided to pick on the new kid. No big deal.

But, it was different. It was _Embry._ He seemed so nice on the beach. He came here after fighting with his mother. He came to see me.

I sighed feeling awful. I stood and picked up my guitar. It had been so long since I played. I started to play my favorite Beatles song. As the chords flowed, I felt my anger fade. Playing always calmed me down.

Eventually, I was reasonable enough to put down my guitar and sit down on my bed. I pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from my pocket, containing Embry's phone number. What a wonderful little piece of paper. I stared at it for a long time, contemplating what to do.

I finally picked up the phone and dialed. A woman's voice eager answered, not what I was expecting.

"Is Embry there?" I asked timidly. I heard his mom exhale, it sounded like a hiss.

"No, I was hoping this would be him, actually."

"Oh…" I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I'm sorry…I'll have him call you when he gets home. Or do you want to leave a message?"

"I'll leave a message," my voice was barely above a whisper now, "Can you tell him 'Sorry' for me?"

"Sure, honey. Who should I say called?"

"Melody."

"Okay, Melody, have a good night."

"You, too." I hung up. I laid down, feeling horrible, once again.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. I didn't know how long I stayed there. I thought of random things, anything to keep my mind off Embry. I realized it was a Friday afternoon. This was comforting, no school.

The phone rang suddenly, and I jumped up.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Mel, that you? It's me, Penelope. You wanna do something tonight?"

I shook my head coming back down to earth. "Sure. Piano lessons done?"

"Yup! Your house or mine? We could probably do my house, my mom sucks at cooking though…I love your dad's food! Your house?"

I laughed, "I don't know why you like it so much, Penelope! It's hardly edible."

Penelope giggled. "You think your _dad's _food isn't edible! Ha! Come here and try my mom's! Your dad's is a welcome change to spinach casserole! Ugh! Or was it tuna? I can't even tell!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine my house it is. I'll call my dad and tell him to make something…interesting."

Penelope slept over. We acted so much younger than we actually were, giddy girls, and ended up playing truth or dare. It ended up being truth or truth though because neither of us could come up with a good dare.

"Hmm…" it was my turn again and Penelope was trying to think of a question. "Hmm…" she said again tapping her chin. Suddenly her finger shot up in the air, "I've got it! Who do you like?" she asked jokingly.

I bobbed my head from side to side as I talked, going along with her joke, "Umm, like, I don't know. Like, guys are so like, gross!"

We both laughed hysterically for a few minutes. Then Penelope said, "What about that, like, La Push kid? He was, like, totally hot!"

I stopped laughing abruptly. Penelope's eyes widened in surprise, she seemed unsatisfied with my response and kept digging for more.

"You like him! Oh my god! That's so cute! Did you guys do anything yet?"

Since it was truth, I couldn't lie to her, "He came over today, homework, but I kinda flipped out at him, so I don't think you should be excited."

Then the phone rang. My dad was home, so I ignored it, and I doubted it was who I wanted to talk to anyway.

Penelope asked another question about Embry, but before I could answer my dad called my name.

"There's some guy on the phone for you! Say's his name is Embry!"

I blushed in embarrassment when Penelope squealed excitedly; then stomped off to my dad's studio.

"Phone," I said with my hand outstretched. I left the studio before I put the phone up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Melody! I'm so so sorry! I shouldn't have told you that, I knew it would upset you! Melody I am so sorry!"

"Wait, why are _you _sorry? I'm the one that needs to apologize! I shouldn't have overreacted. It's just…I hate it when people try to make fun of the 'new kid'. That's just because I've been that kid so many times, though. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"I wasn't making fun of you! I thought I scared you! Wait, is that what you really thought? I would never!"

"Then are you really a…you know?"

"Ya, pretty heavy isn't it! That's what my mom and I were fighting about. She was worried 'cause…never mind. So, since you aren't mad any more…are you free tomorrow?"


	7. Beverly

**Hello people of the fanfic world! I'm going on vacation so I am unable to write again until next...Friday the 25. Until then, Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

Chapter 7 Beverly

I kicked Penelope out the next morning as early as I could. Luck was on my side for once, because my dad was invited to a friend's house in Seattle, so he would be out all day again. Of course, that didn't mean that I would avoid his millions of questions for long.

I glanced at the kitchen clock, agitated. Only a half an hour to go! I ran up the stairs to the bathroom. I brushed my shoulder length blonde hair out once again. Then smoothed my brown blouse and pulled on the white tank top I wore underneath the blouse. Finally I pulled up on my jeans and returned to the kitchen.

I paced anxiously and took slow, deep breaths. What was wrong with me? Hello, Melody, return to Earth please!

If you haven't noticed yet, I was extremely nervous. I didn't have much experience. I had one boyfriend before, last year. I went out with him for a few months but he was an ass, so I dumped him. I kissed him once. It was so awkward. I'll spare you that embarrassing moment, and stick to the present.

I sat in one of the dark brown chairs at the counter, and started to tap my foot. I realized my palms were sweating so I wiped them on my jeans. I glanced at the clock again. 15 minutes!

I thought of my old friends to calm myself down. Most people probably missed the friends that they left, but I didn't. Penelope was my best friend ever. Back in Florida, I had a few good friends, but we were so young that I don't remember them at all. The first move, San Francisco, was alright. I did manage to make some friends there, since I lived there for a whole year and a half. New York was next, but that didn't last long enough to make real friends. Then we moved Washington D.C. which was very fun. The only friend I managed to make there however was super annoying. She had pale blonde hair, freckles, glasses, and a mouth full of braces. Her name was Taylor, I think, and she talked way too much. I swear, I couldn't get a word in. The people I met in Boston were nice but I am 95 sure they were on drugs. Richmond was…

The doorbell rang suddenly, ripping me out of my reverie, and my heart stopped. I hopped up and bolted to the door, too eager to see Embry's face. I flung the door open and I couldn't help but smile. Had he always been so gorgeous?

"You look nice today," he commented. I felt my face redden. "Ready?"

I nodded. Then opened the door. I don't know if I mentioned this yet, but it was early December by now, which meant there was snow on the ground...and ice. I hadn't realized that the front steps were coated in a layer of ice, until my foot actually reached it. Then suddenly, my feet flew out from under me, and I fell forward. Just in time, Embry whirled and caught me in his arms right before I hit the pavement.

Concerned, he pulled me to his chest. I noticed how eratically I was breathing, and worked to calm it down. Embry stroked my hair, murmuring, "It's okay, it's okay." I stood in his arms for an immeasurable moment. It was a little awkward but it felt nice. Especially because his skin was so hot.

I looked into Embry's eyes, and he smiled. "I didn't know how graceful you were!" I groaned. Did he have to comment on that?

"Thanks for catching me," I grumbled. Embry walked me to the passenger side of his black truck, with his arm draped over my shoulders. He opened the door, then walked around to the driver's seat.

Once we were pulling away from my house I asked, "So is that a werewolf thing? The burning hot skin, I mean."

Embry nodded once. "I guess I'm kind of weird,huh? And you haven't even seen me morph yet!"

And...I would get to see that? "What do you look like?" I blurted out.

Embry laughed, "Like a big teddy bear," he said sarcastically. "Well, I am big, kinda like a bear, but distinctly canine. Fangs, paws, and all of that." He sighed sadly looking at me. "I bet it would scare you."

I shook my head and took his hand. "I don't scare that easily."

Embry nodded, and I wondered if he believed me. He switched on the radio, and we listened to the music for the rest of the ride.

He stopped the little black truck in front of a cute little house. The chipping paint was yellow, and the shutters were blue. The driveway was tiny, and held a beat up tan Camry, no room for Embry's truck. I climbed out carefully, making sure I wouldn't fall again. Embry took my hand, and led me up a stone walkway to a rust-colored door. He turned the door knob and kicked the door open.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Embry motioned to a door which, I assumed, led to the kitchen. Aromas of chocolate-chip cookies and apple pie wafted from the door. Embry's mother was much like her house, sweet and small. Even though her son was as tall as a mountain, she was shorter than me. Her black hair was streaked with gray, and was piled on top of her head in a bun. Her russet skin had both laugh lines and worry lines, the latter probably developed from raising Embry. She pulled a pie out of the black oven, and set it out to cool next to the cookies and brownies. She turned her attention to me, and smiled.

"Hello. You must be Melody. I'm Embry's mom Beverly."

I smiled. "Hi," I said timidly. "Um, do you need any help in here?"

She laughed. "No, no, I'm almost done. You two go talk. Lunch in a half an hour?"

We left the kitchen, and I got a small tour of the house. It was only one floor, consisting of kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room, and two bedrooms. Embry sprawled out on a brown leather couch in front of a small black TV. I sat on the reddish brown carpet in front of him. Embry turned on the TV, and flipped absently through the channels.

"Melody..."

I turned around surprised. Embry's face looked troubled. "Yes," I urged him to go on.

"There's, uh, something you should know..."

"Yes?" Okay, now I was confused.

"It's sort of a werewolf thing, but it has to do with you too and-"

"Lunch is ready," Beverly came into the dining room right behind us. I looked from her back to Embry, then mouthed the word "Later."


	8. Meet the Werewolves

Ch. 8 Meet the Werewolves

The more I talked to Beverly, the more I loved her. She was the kind of mom I always wished that I had. Loving, caring, always there for her child…the exact opposite of my mother. She also seemed well informed on the werewolf thing, and completely understanding about it. There was only one awkward moment throughout the entire lunch, when I made the mistake of asking about Embry's father.

They both got really quiet, and didn't answer for a couple minutes. Finally Bev said, "I'll let Embry tell you that story later."

When we were washing dishes Embry did tell me about his father. Or, the possible candidates for his father. I felt extremely horrible, but he kept assuring me that it wasn't my fault.

Embry and I escaped to the beach after helping clean up.

"This is where you first told me about werewolves," I reminded him. He smiled down at me. "So earlier, before lunch…" Embry blushed and looked away. I felt bad for bringing it up. But I was curious. "You don't have to tell me."

"No, I want to. It's just kind of weird…"

"Is it a werewolf thing?" Embry nodded.

"I'm not really sure how to explain it…Okay, it's called imprinting. It's when we find our perfect match. Our true love, or whatever else you want to call it. Imprinting is kinda like love at first sight but stronger…"

I nodded. "But, what does that have to do…Did you imprint on me?"

Embry blushed again, and nodded.

I blushed too, and looked away. The sky was darkening with rain clouds. The waves growing stronger and wilder as a storm rolled in. I knew we would probably leave soon to keep out of the rain.

"Mel?" I looked back at Embry, "You alright?"

I thought for a moment about how Embry was my true love, my perfect match. Yes, I was alright. I was perfect. I knew then that he loved me and always would. And that I loved him too. I finally understood everything. Why I had been acting so weird. I was in love.

"I think I love you," I said. It sounded so stupid coming out of my mouth. Embry smiled.

"I think I love you too."

Every day for the next two weeks, Embry picked me up from school and took me to his house. I loved visiting Bev and spending time with Embry. He met my dad, who wasn't very happy that I was dating a boy two years older than me that looked like he was 25. And I met his pack.

That day, Embry picked me up from school like always, but instead of driving to his house, he drove to a strange one with multiple cars parked in the driveway and in front.

"Where the hell are we?" I asked extremely confused.

"We are at Sam Uley's house. You are going to meet the pack!"

This was even more nerve-wracking than meeting Bev. Of course I had heard stories about the pack: about Sam and Emily and Leah, about the newborn vampire war, and about Jacob and Bella. The pack had always reminded me of a soap opera.

Embry dragged me toward the house and shoved me in the door. I knew my face was beat red and my palms were sweating.

"Hey, everyone! This is Melody." I looked around at all the faces crowded into the small living room. The boys were similar looking to Embry, russet skin, short black hair (except for Jake), and all freakishly huge. Emily's scarred face smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Nice to finally meet you," she said. "Embry she's gorgeous. I just don't know what took you so long to bring her over here!"

"Keeping her for myself I guess," everyone laughed. I was introduced to everyone quickly. They all seemed happy, except Jake, but he had a good reason.

Emily disappeared into the kitchen with Leah, the only girl werewolf, and her husband Sam. Embry and I sat on a couch with Quil and Jake, Embry's best friends.

I was next to Quil, and he chatted excitedly the entire time. From what I could tell, he really loved being a werewolf. He retold all of the myths and the dramatic stories of the pack. His face was animated throughout the conversation and I couldn't help but laugh.

Emily brought out a huge tray of delicious looking roast beef sandwiches. I took one, Emily took one, and all of the werewolves took five. It still amazed me at how much they could eat.

Emily returned to the kitchen, and I realized that she didn't have anyone helping her. I stood and entered the kitchen. Emily was washing dishes in the small silver sink. I noticed that they didn't have a dishwasher.

"Umm, I thought you could use some help," I said timidly.

"Oh, thank you sweetie! Those boys eat so much. It takes forever to clean up after them!"

I joined Emily at the sink, and dried the dishes while she washed.

Emily and I made hamburgers, baked cookies, brownies, and pie, and cleaned dishes. We talked about the pack, both of our families, my school, and a lot of other things. I found her a very likeable person and enjoyed talking to her even more than Quil.

After serving the desert, I sat down with Embry again. "That was nice of you to help Emily," he murmured in my ear. Then, he kissed the top of my head. An electric shock ran down my spine. That was the first time he kissed me, even in such a casual way.

I smiled at him, then laid my head on his shoulder. I turned my attention to the conversation.

"Jake, you really need to cheer up! Your depression is starting to affect me!" a boy (whose name I think is Paul) said.

Jake just glared at him.

Another guy, Jared I think, said, "Leave him alone! He needs time! Although you probably don't know anything about love, you should know that these things take time!"

Paul rolled his eyes. "It's been a year already! How long does he need? Suck it up! Get over it already! She's a vampire now! Why do you still want her?"

So fast that I barely saw it, a plate smashed into Paul's face. I gasped, but Paul seemed unscathed, just extremely angry. Paul jumped up, and I could see tremors were rolling down his spine. Embry stiffened and stood up in front of me protectively. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Why was Embry worried about me if Paul was the one that looked like he was having a seizure?

Sam yelled, "Damnit, Paul! Control yourself, won't you! You deserved to have a plate thrown at you, alright! Would you just calm down and leave Jake alone!"

I looked at Jacob. He was standing now like most of the werewolves, and his hands were shaking. He looked pissed, but his eyes were tortured. Poor Jake. I hadn't been told that Bella had become a vampire, just that she married one.

As, Embry drove me home after the eventful first afternoon with the pack, I thought about Paul and Jake and tried to figure out why there were shaking. I kept coming up blank.

"Why did Paul look like he was having a seizure?" I asked eagerly.

Embry chuckled, "He wasn't having a seizure. When we get angry, we shake, and if we get mad enough, we…morph."

I considered this a moment, and it made more sense than anything I could think of. "Which is why you wanted to protect me?"

"Yes, I didn't want him to hurt you. I mean, you saw what happened to Emily! What could happen to you if I…You know, just because I imprinted on you, doesn't mean you have to stay with me. It's your choice. You can leave."

And, why would I do that? I did love him. If I left, it would be because he wanted me to. "No, I'm not going anywhere. I don't think that you will ever…well, you know."

He nodded, "But, I could."

A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of my house. Embry turned to face me. Then, he put his hands on both sides of my face and pulled me up to kiss him. I thought the electric shocks were strong before! His too hot hands tangled in my hair as mine wrapped around his neck. I felt lightheaded, and pulled back. Then, I realized I hadn't been breathing.

Both of us were breathing heavy, collapsed on the seats. "Wow," I managed to say. Embry just nodded.

"We should get you inside before your dad gets worried."

He walked me to the steps and I kissed him one more time before going inside. I realized then, how happy I was. I decided that since I was in such a great mood, I should try something, and see if it went better than usual.

"Hey dad!" I called, walking straight into the kitchen, "I'm going to call mom okay!"


	9. Happy Birthday

**Hey, I messed up Melody's age. Let's pretend that she was 14 up until this point. R&R! -Sam**

Ch. 9 Happy Birthday

Thanks to my new optimism, my mom and I had our first conversation, without arguing, in years. We actually almost got along. My dad gave me his old laptop recently, and my mom and I e-mailed each other almost every day.

I realized just how fast time was flying when my dad asked what I wanted for my birthday.

"Isn't it a little early to be thinking about birthday presents?" I asked confused.

"Ugh, Mel, your birthday is next week." My dad said concerned.

Could it really be February 13 already? We moved in on December 27, right after Christmas. My birthday was in seven days and, I realized horrified, Valentine's Day was tomorrow.

I ran out of the house before I even knew where I was going. I reached the small collection of Forks' shops, a grocery store, a library (poorly stocked), a candy store, and a drugstore, in a few minutes. I entered the candy store first. They had specials for Valentine's Day of course. I found a cute teddy bear with 'Be Mine' written on its chest and a box of chocolates in its hands.

I brought it up to the counter, and the lady gave me a funny look. "Last minute," she muttered under her breath.

"I lost track of the time." I felt bad enough; did she really have to make it worse?

"How would _he_ feel about that?" She asked rudely.

Okay, that was too much, "Look, lady, I've still got homework to do, okay. I ran out of my house so my dad's gonna kill me! Would you just ring up the freaking bear and keep your nose out of my business!"

The woman looked taken aback, but, she rang up the bear without another word.

I sprinted back home. My dad was in the kitchen waiting for me. "Realize you forgot something for Embry?"

"Yes, sorry." I put the bear down on the table, and started to walk away.

"You never answered my question."

I whirled around, "What question?"

"What do you want for your birthday?"

Oh, that. I thought for a minute, I did need new clothes, and there were a few things I would like to get, but I didn't really need it. "Nothing," I said. We were short on money as it was. He didn't need to start buying me stuff I didn't need.

"Ugh, must we go through this every year! I'll find something. By the way, I told Embry that your birthday was coming up."

My eyes widened. "Why? Now he's probably going to tell the pa…his friends!"

"Why is that such a bad thing Melody? Most people like getting things on their birthday! Why don't you like presents?"

How many times did we have to have this conversation? "I don't mind presents, I like getting presents actually. Its people wasting money on me that bothers me." I knew he would say that it wasn't a waste, and people spending money on me meant that they cared about me. I left the room before he had the chance.

I have to say, I was curious and excited about what Embry was planning to get me for my birthday. I was also curious about Valentine's Day. The next morning I woke up, nervous. I didn't know why, I knew he loved me. Why did it matter if I got a little box of candy hearts or not?

I got ready for school, and still the nerves didn't subside. When I walked out the front door, teddy bear in hand, and saw Embry leaning on the hood of his truck like always I forgot everything, and then I was running to him. His arms were around me in no time, securing me to his warm chest.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he murmured in my ear.

"You too," I said before kissing his cheek, "This is for you, I know it's stupid." I handed him the teddy bear.

"It's not stupid, it's sweet. Your present, however, is kind of stupid."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, wonderful a present." I said sarcastically.

"Don't laugh," he said. Embry handed me a box of chocolates and a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"This isn't stupid," I assured him, "It's classic and wonderful and I love it." I ran back in with my presents, and returned to the car.

While we were driving to school, Embry asked, "So you didn't tell me about your birthday…"

"No, I didn't, and I don't want you buying me anything either."

Embry laughed then winced. "Good luck breaking that to Quil, he loves parties."

"You're throwing me a party!" I screamed.

"A small one, just the pack, and your dad if you want. Emily worked hard on it. You'll get presents and cake," he turned toward me a huge smile on his face, "Emily makes good cake."

"I can't believe you."

On February 20, I woke up already pissed off. It was Sunday so I should have been in a good mood, but it was my birthday. I hadn't even reached the last step when I heard my dad call, "Happy Birthday!"

"Don't sing," I said putting my hand up in front of his face.

He looked disappointed, but he listened to me. "So, you're going out with Embry and his friends today."

It wasn't a question but I nodded anyway. "We aren't going out though, just to one of their houses."

My dad made a face and said, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this Melody. Those people are all older than you, and…."

"Dad, I'm 15 now, remember? Besides, they're only two years older than me…" This wasn't exactly true because Sam and Emily were in their early 20's, "Some of them are my age."

"Whatever, Mel, just be careful. Oh, your mother sent up some things for you, and I have presents. You can open those now, get it over with."

I showered and put on the new knee-length white dress my mom sent me. It was really pretty and I actually liked it. The dress was lacy at the top, and a silk material at the bottom. A gorgeous flower pattern flowed from the thin straps to the ruffled edges. I paired it with a red sweater and red shoes, then walked out the front door, dreading whatever Embry and Emily had planned.

Embry's eyes widened as I came out the front door. "What?" I asked as I slipped a black headband in my hair.

"You look…wow." He smiled.

"Umm, thanks I guess?"

He shook his head, "Let's go, don't want to be late for your own party."

I walked in the door of Emily and Sam's house and was shocked to see the whole pack all dressed up and waiting for me. "Happy Birthday," they said in chorus.

I smiled, not wanting to be rude, "Thanks."

Emily ran up to me and hugged me. "I can't believe you're fifteen! Oh, wait until you see your presents! It's so much easier to give girls presents than boys. I'm glad there's another girl, I mean Jared never brings Kim." Leah, who was within earshot scowled. Apparently she wasn't happy about being grouped with the guys.

Emily and I ended up in the kitchen again together. She was so easy to talk to. Apparently, I was taking the whole werewolf and imprint thing very well. She was proud of me. Sam came in after a while, and the two of them went off on their own. I wondered if Embry and I were as cute together, as right. It certainly felt that way.

I was startled when Emily suddenly said, "Melody, get out of here! You can't see your cake yet!" She half shoved me into the living room, and I set off to find Embry.

I spotted Jake and Quil in a corner talking; Embry was usually with them so I walked up to them.

"Hey, have you guys seen Embry?"

Quil answered first, "No, birthday girl, I haven't. He's definitely not trying to hide your present though if that's what you're, ow!" Jake elbowed Quil in the ribs.

"Don't ruin the surprise! God, Quil, could you be any more of an idiot!" I realized then that I had never heard Jacob speak before then.

The lights went down then, and Emily walked in with a double layered cake with white frosting and my name written in pink icing. Everyone started singing "Happy Birthday" and by the end of the song Embry was back, his arm over my shoulder.

After blowing out the candles, and receiving my small piece of cake, I sat down in a chair with Embry on the ground in front of me. I bent down so I could talk to him.

"So, Quil says that you _weren't_ getting my present?"

"Ugh, I could kill him sometimes. I know you told me not to get you anything, but you will like it, and your dad helped pay for it, and Jake and Quil. So it's a combination present and if you split the costs, it really wasn't that expensive."

"Now I'm curious."

He smiled his big smile and said, "You still have to wait until everyone else has given you their presents. We go last." I rolled my eyes.

I received iTunes gift cards and money mostly; many of the guys had no idea what they were supposed to get me. Emily gave me a couple of cute outfits, she signed the card from Sam too but I doubted that he picked anything out. My curiosity kept growing as Embry's smile grew more mischievous.

Finally Embry, my dad, Jake, and Quil's gift was the only one left to open.

Embry stood and said, "Ladies, gentlemen, and Leah," Leah scowled at him, "If you could follow me into the kitchen."

We all did, and standing in the middle of the kitchen was a giant box-shaped mass of wrapping paper. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. Embry smiled again.

"Open it," he encouraged.

The box was really long and not very tall so I bent down and tried to pull the paper off. After wrestling the wrapping paper off, I was able to see the present.

"You got me a piano!" I screamed. "How is that not expensive, you liar?"

Everybody laughed. Embry said, "You are worth it, at least I think so. But the guys were more than willing to pitch in. Plus, this is something you said you've wanted forever. You'll use it every day, and it won't go to waste. I know you love it."

I couldn't argue with that. The glossy, black electric keyboard was exactly what I had always dreamed of having. Even though it wasn't as much as grand pianos it was still a bit much for a boyfriend to get his girlfriend, even if he was my soul mate.

When we pulled into my driveway with the piano in the truck bed, I asked, "Why did you get that for me?"

Embry got real serious and turned to me, "Because, I love you. Isn't that enough reason? I know you play, and I know how much you wanted this," the smile returned, "Plus, now you owe me."

I raised my eyebrows. I turned and looked to the driveway, my dad wasn't home. I turned back to Embry, smiled, and leaned toward him for the kiss.


	10. Dogs

**Ch. 10 Dogs**

February vacation, the most wonderful time of the year. Luckily, my father was broke and decided that we wouldn't be traveling. This would've pissed me off any other year, but not now. Every day, I woke up at a reasonable hour, glad to be sleeping in for a change, had breakfast, and went to the beach with Embry.

So, I had no reason to expect anything different on Thursday. When I ran out the door, I noticed my dad had a strange look on his face, the same look he had the one time he tried to keep something from me-my surprise 12th birthday party.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

He shook his head as if I had pulled him out of a reverie, "I didn't say anything. Have fun with Embry." My dad walked away.

I bit my lip as I walked to the old pickup. What the hell was that? My dad had something up his sleeve and I wasn't sure I wanted to now what it was.

"Hey," Embry said leaning across to kiss my cheek, "You look worried."

"Hmm…Do I?" I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror. "My dad's just acting weird that's all."

He nodded, and pulled out of the driveway.

"So, you said you were going to ask questions today…"he said when we had reached the beach.

"Yes," I tapped my chin trying to decide which question to ask. "How do you become a werewolf?"

"It's in your blood; the direct descendants from Taha Aki. I thought I told you that…"

I nodded remembering. "Do you live forever, or is that just vampires?"

He smiled. "We live longer than humans. Actually, we don't age until we can stop morphing for a while; until we can control ourselves."

"Oh, so you'll stay young forever," I joked.

Embry rolled his eyes. "Have a little more faith in me than that! For your information, it's been almost two weeks since I last changed!"

"Ooh, two weeks! Is that a record?"

He looked at me through narrowed eyes. "You are making it awfully hard to control my anger!" Embry's expression changed, and he said, "Besides, you shouldn't want me to stay young forever. Considering you'll still grow old, stupid human!"  
I opened my mouth, shocked. Then realized it was true, and I had no comeback.

Embry smiled, victorious. "Any more questions?"

"No, I'll just end up being made fun of again." I sighed.

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?"

I made a puppy dog face, looked up at him and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll force myself to start aging again once you catch up to me in age, or size. Whichever comes first."

I blushed, "Age definitely…I'm done growing."

He laughed. "Figures, my other half would be my other, well,_ half_."

"See there you go again! You keep making fun of me!" I stormed off in the other direction.

He caught up to me in no time and grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry, again. I'll stop. You know, you can make fun of me very easily."

I smiled, "You're right _dog_ I can."

He winced, "You sound like a vampire, but I deserved that."

I turned and walked in the other direction. When I noticed that Embry wasn't next to me I turned and whistled, "Come here, boy!"

Embry narrowed his eyes again, and started walking toward me.

After more questions, a nice lunch with Bev, and an afternoon with Emily and Sam, Embry drove me home. My dad had called me asking that I come home by dinner. When we pulled into the driveway, I remembered how strange my dad had been this morning and felt anxious again.

I walked through the door, Embry's hand on my back, half expecting to be attacked. My dad was standing there waiting; he smiled when we came through.

"Hey guys. You've probably realized that I have a surprise for you by now, Mel. You've adjusted really well and I realized how great you've been considering how many times we've had to move because of me. I thought you deserved something."

My dad walked away, into the kitchen and returned moments later with the one thing I had not been expecting.

A dog. A medium sized black lab. The dog walked right up to me and started sniffing my jeans. After a moment, it looked up at me with beautiful, innocent brown eyes. I loved it already.

"Oh my god…" I whispered. "Umm, boy or girl?"

"Girl. Her name is Siprey."

I patted Siprey's gorgeous red tinted black hair, and she licked my hand.

"I love her, dad! Thank you!"

That night, I realized that I had everything now. It didn't seem fair. Why me? Why should I be so lucky? I had a dog which I had wanted since birth, two loving parents (even if they weren't together anymore), a wonderful boyfriend (soul mate), and an awesome best friend that I desperately needed to call.

I was happier than ever.

How long would it be before it all came crashing down?


	11. Old Friends

Ch

Ch. 11 Old Friends

After Embry dropped me off for school, I went to find Penelope. I had to tell her about the dog. I rounded a corner and ran into my old friend David.

"Melody! Hi, did you have a nice break? I feel like I never see you anymore!" David said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Hi David. Um, my break was fun. I got a dog. And, I know what you mean. We should do another trip to the beach. I miss everybody."

"That's a great idea! I'll start asking people," David replied running a hand through his black hair, "Oh, speaking of which, are you uh…dating that La Push guy now? Not that it's any of my business. But if you are, you should invite him!"

"Uh, yeah I am dating _Embry._"

"Oh, is that is name? That's…great. I'll see you around Mel," David said waving his hand.

I continued walking until the bell rang. "Fine," I muttered to myself, "I'll tell her in class."

When I walked into Chem. Mr. Hazel was just about to begin his lecture. He glared at me as I took my seat next to Penelope. I smiled at her as I sat down, and she just looked back. Something was wrong. I felt bad for not spending as much time with her as I used to.

"What's up? I called last night but no one answered," I whispered while I pretended to take notes.

She looked at me again, "Oh you're returning phone calls now?"

"Look, I'm really sorry alright. I've never had a real boyfriend before so I got caught up. I've never really had a best friend before either so I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here, okay?"

Penelope half smiled. "I understand I just felt kind of left out. Why'd you call?"

I looked up to make sure the teacher hadn't noticed us, then whispered, "My dad got me a dog! She's adorable; she has black hair, she's medium sized, and she's the sweetest dog ever. Her name is Siprey. I didn't pick the name so I don't know what it means."

Penelope's blue eyes widened, "Oh my god! That's awesome. Now I wish I had picked up."

"Well, it's my fault you didn't. Hey, why don't you come over after school to meet her!"

Before Penelope could respond, Mr. Hazel called, "Ms. Swift, I hate to interrupt your conversation with Ms. Clark. Would either of you happen to know what I was just saying?"

"That you were sorry for interrupting us. We accept your apology." I retorted. Several students giggled. I always hated anyone who taught science in any form.

Our teacher narrowed his eyes, "A mouth like that belongs in detention, Ms. Swift. I was saying that there is a unit test tomorrow. I hope you both are prepared."

"We know that, you should have asked if we knew what you were saying _before_ you interrupted us, so I don't really think Melody deserves detention," Penelope said.

Raising his eyebrows, Mr. Hazel said, "Perhaps you would like to join her? I'll see you both after school." Just then, the bell rang.

"So I guess I'll come over after detention then," Penelope said as we walked to our next classes.

I laughed, "Sure. I'll call Embry and tell him that he doesn't have to pick me up today." I glanced at the sky. It was cloudy like usual, but with white fluffy clouds instead of the usual purple menacing ones. "We could walk; I don't think it will rain."

"Sure see you in French!"

I got a pass from my English teacher to use the public telephone. Embry's mom, Bev, answered.

"Hello?" I heard the familiar voice.

"Hi, Bev, it's me, Melody"

"Shouldn't you be in school?" she asked confused.

"Oh, I am. I'm using the public phone. Could you tell Embry that I don't need a ride home today and that I'll call him later?"

"Sure, honey. It was nice talking to you! Have a wonderful day!"

"Thanks, bye." I hung up the phone and ran back to English class.

After detention, Penelope and I walked home laughing about Mr. Hazel the whole way. I unlocked the front door and stuck my leg in first, just in case Siprey tried to escape. I held my dog by the collar as Penelope entered.

"Awe, she's so cute, Mel!" she said as she pat Siprey's head.

I smiled. "Oh, you never saw the piano!" I grabbed my friend's hand and led her up the stairs to my room, with my dog trailing closely behind.

Penelope and I had a lot of catching up to do. I fooled around on the piano as she picked up my guitar and played along. I soon started singing and we demonstrated every song we knew.

Four red bulls, a bag of chips, and 20 songs later…

"I'll make room for girl time," I promised my best friend as she left.

"Okay, bye!"

As soon as Penelope was out the door, the phone was in my hand, and I was dialing my soul mate's number.

"Hello?" Embry's anxious voice answered on the first ring.

"Hey, it's me!"

I heard a sigh of relief, "Why didn't you need a ride today?"

"I um…" How would he feel about the detention? "Well, I got detention, so did Penelope. Then we walked to my house and hung out for a while."

"Detention? Wonderful I imprinted on a trouble maker," Embry said jokingly. "I'm glad you got to spend some time with Penelope. I felt bad for taking up all of your time. You should have other friends too."

"You should too! I've been selfish; don't your friends miss you?"

"My friends are all werewolves. They understand imprinting. Yours are human. It's different."

I was speechless, suddenly realizing what he meant. "You're human too," I whispered.

"Not really. How many humans explode into wolves when they get pissed off?"

"Not many," I admitted, "Only the cool ones."

Embry laughed and I smiled. "I'm still a freak," he said softly.

"Maybe, but I love you anyway."

"I love you too."

I smiled again. "You know, I'm a freak too." I said trying to comfort Embry. "I mean, how many normal people do you know that move a million times per year? Nobody ever likes the new girl."

"I do. In fact, I'm crazy about her."

I laughed. "You're right, you aren't normal!"

He chuckled, "Normal's overrated anyway."

"That's my new motto," I said still laughing.

"Would you, umm…you probably wouldn't…never mind."

"What? You know you can ask me anything."

Embry sighed. "I know I can, but it's stupid and…fine. Would you like to go to a dance with me at my school this weekend?"

"Sure! That will be fun!" I said excited, except for the fact that I would have to get a dress.

"Great! The pack is meeting up for dinner then going. Well, those of us that are in high school anyway. I'll pick you up at 6:00. Okay?"

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, so I have to drive you again."

"Yes you do. Didn't anyone tell you? Personal chauffer is included in the whole soul mate thing. At least until I'm 16."

He laughed.


	12. Winter Ball

**Sorry that it's been so long! I've been busy with the summer and Breaking Dawn of course! But now I'm back to school so I'll work out more of a schedule and post more often. Thank you to everyone that's stayed a fan this long and I promise I'll post again soon! Enjoy! Reviews always appreciated!**

Ch. 12 Winter Ball

La Push High's Winter Ball was one of the biggest dances (except for prom) that the school had. Every member of the pack that attended the high school was going. I had always loved dances; the loud music pulsing, the crowd moving to the beat as one. The only time I wasn't awkward and clumsy was on the dance floor.

Penelope's mom dropped us off at the mall in Seattle a few nights before the dance. It was a long drive but worth it, I realized as I took in rack after rack of dresses. Gowns of every size, shape, and color lined the walls of the huge department store. Penelope and I started sifting through a rack of dresses my size.

"How am I supposed to pick just one?" I asked holding a dress up in front of me for inspection.

Penelope laughed, "You have to narrow it down to your favorites then try them on and see which one looks the best on you," she rolled her eyes as if it should've been obvious. "You don't shop much, do you? I thought you lived in L.A."

"I did, but I was raised by an undiscovered artist. I was taught to hate shopping and spending."

"I'll teach you to love it again, don't worry," my friend said as she handed me a black mini dress.

We didn't talk much after that. We were too busy laughing and looking at gowns. We ran off to the dressing rooms with our hands full of dresses. I tried on dress after dress, giggling the whole time, while Penelope critiqued each one. She wasn't like other people I had shopped with. Instead of telling you that all of the dresses look great, Penelope told you which ones looked the best and which didn't. I liked it better that way.

I was so nervous and flustered the night of the dance that I stabbed myself with my earring and burned my skin with a curling iron. I checked myself in the full length mirror one last time, from the elegant pile of blonde curls piled on the top of my head to my strappy black heels and black painted toe nails. I decided to go with the dark purple floor length dress that exposed my almost nonexistent cleavage. It was tighter until my waist where it flowed beautifully to the floor. The surprising thing was, I actually looked great in it.

The doorbell rang then, and my heart skipped a beat. I was so excited I ran to the stairs and tripped over the dress I had forgotten I was wearing. I gathered the long silk in my hand as I made my descent down the stairs.

My father and Embry's eyes widened as they saw me, and I felt my cheeks flush. Embry looked extremely handsome in a tux. His russet skin and black hair clashed with the white shirt. His puppy dog brown eyes stared back at me and I felt lightheaded. Breathe! He smiled at me, and I nearly melted to the floor.

"Hi," I said stupidly.

Embry's smile grew. "Hi." He cleared his throat. "You're…you look, so beautiful." I blushed again. At least I wasn't the only one that had no clue what to do.

In the car, Embry and I went back to our normal selves, no longer nervous and embarrassed. We laughed and talked the whole ride to the restaurant.

Everyone else had already been seated and ordered drinks. Quil whistled when he saw me and said that there was no way Embry could possibly have a girlfriend like me, making me blush even harder. I sat down next to Seth Clearwater, one of my favorite members of the pack (he was one of the nicest people I had ever met and he was about my age).

**(Breaking Dawn spoilers ahead! Please ignore how wrong ch. 8 was.)**

"Has anyone seen Jake recently? That boy spends too much time with the bloodsuckers," Brady said.

Collin nodded in agreement. "I saw him a couple of days ago, but he reeked of vampire so I left."

"Why didn't he come?" I asked confused. I hadn't seen Jake in so long. He certainly did spend plenty of time with his imprintee Bella's daughter, Renesmee.

"He'd rather be with Renesmee, and she can't go to the dance, so he won't."

"Yeah, but Quil comes. He couldn't leave her for one night to hang with you guys?"

"I agree with you completely, but Embry wouldn't ditch you for us either." He had a point there.

When we walked out the door I was hit by the frigid air. I leaned closer to Embry and he realized that I didn't have a jacket. He put his arm around me and pulled me in close. I laid my head against his side, and he kissed the top of my forehead.

"I love you," he whispered into my hair. I tipped my head back and pressed my lips to his.

"I love you too," I murmured against his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me off the ground so I didn't have to crane my neck. When we kissed it was easiest to understand imprinting. They were always so perfect, long and slow, deep and passionate. Our bodies pressed together, every curve matched perfectly, and we fit together as one.

A car horn honked, startling us. Embry set me back on our feet and we glared at Quil for interrupting us. "Get a room!" he hollered from his car. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off.

The gym was already packed with people when we arrived. White glittering snowflakes hung from the ceiling and walls. Blue and white balloons crowded the floor. And colored lasers flashed across the hundreds of moving bodies.

Embry grabbed my hand and we soon joined the crowd. We danced for hours, our bodies shaking and thrashing to the beat of the music. My heart pounded along with the bass. For every slow song, he hugged me close and we swayed from side to side.

It was the perfect night.


End file.
